Hi! Great idea for bread. But: is the maple syrup just for taste or texture? If it is just for taste can it be left out or substituted with someth...

The maple syrup is for flavor. I've made this recipe a few times and the 175C temperature is not going to do much to the maple syrup. The flax and chia seeds seems to be the binder for the loaf. If you don't have maple syrup, leave it out or substitute with another sweetener (the recipe lists stevia as an sugar-free alternative). But I recommend using a little sweetener because this loaf will be bland without it (& the salt).